Creator God, may we center ourselves in your love this day and be nourished. May we listen for your wisdom, discern your call upon our lives, and trust in your leading as we seek to follow in faith. Amen.
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The book of Esther is a quick and entertaining read. As you may know, every year Jewish communities read it during the festival of Purim. And in many Jewish communities, people (especially kids) dress up as the various characters and, as the story is read, people shout, stomp, or make noise to drown out the name of the villain, Haman.
The story of Esther reads like a sort of melodrama or fairytale featuring Esther, our brave, beautiful, young queen and heroine; Mordecai, her wise older mentor and father-figure; the self-indulgent, showy, easily influenced, and somewhat clueless king, Ahasuerus; and the egotistical, greedy, power-hungry, and vengeful villain, Haman.
The book was written as a fictional novella by a member of the Jewish Diaspora for their community living in Persia under Persian imperial rule in the 5th century BC. But it is evident that author knew some of the customs and culture of life in the Persian court in Susa and may have been inspired by the activities and behaviors of real people in that world.
The author doesn’t hold back in portraying their Persian characters in a negative, and often one-dimensional, light. So, we should approach this text with care, knowing that it is not a history report, but rather was written to and for people who probably felt powerless at times and who may have struggled to hold onto their autonomy, as well as their religious and cultural identity, while living under imperial rule.
Esther’s story is entertaining, but it also deals with some very serious issues we humans still struggle with 2,500 years later: hate and discrimination against a particular group of people, the threat of violence, an attempted genocide, the danger of pride, and the lure of power and wealth attained at the expense of others.
Haman’s villainous behavior is made possible by his willingness to demonize and scapegoat others. Haman was ambitious and climbing his way to the top politically. He already looked down upon the Jewish people as “foreigners” and as a group he thought should be subservient to the empire he wanted to rule. So, when one of those people, Mordecai, doesn’t bow down before him, he’s insulted and takes it as a threat.
Haman quickly vows vengeance upon Mordecai and all the Jewish people in the land. He manipulates the king into believing he has lawless enemies across his provinces who must be destroyed, and he offers to pay money into the court treasury to fund this destruction. How quickly Haman’s personal beef with Mordecai, fueled by his lust for power and thirst for revenge, has blown up into an all-out war against an entire people.
Tragically, the king doesn’t question any of this and gives Haman the authorization to move forward by sending out letters across the land telling people to kill all their Jewish neighbors on a particular day (men, women, and children) and steal all their property. It’s diabolical.
As this terrible news spreads, the city is in an uproar and Mordecai mourns publicly, replacing his clothing with sackcloth and ashes and wandering around wailing aloud throughout the city, finally ending up at the palace gate. Mordecai still won’t bow down to Haman when he passes by, which just enrages Haman further and he makes plans to personally kill Mordecai and builds gallows from which to hang him.
But Mordecai, despite his grief and terror, believes Esther can do something to stop this evil plot to destroy their people. So, when she reaches out to him to find out what’s going on, he gets a message to her about the threat and pleads to her to talk to the king.
“Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews,” he says. “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”
Does Esther really have any influence with the king? She may wear a crown, but does she have any real political power? It’s a dangerous choice to go see the king uninvited. It’s against the law, punishable by death. But do nothing, and that is a death sentence too – for her, Mordecai, and her people. So, Esther courageously makes this risky and bold choice to see the king and intercede on behalf of her people.
Fortunately, this decision works out. The king, though fickle, is enthralled with Esther. So, he agrees to attend a banquet at her invitation (at which she will expose Haman’s plot and plead her case).
In the meantime, before the banquet, the king has the royal records read to him one night when he can’t sleep and he recalls that Mordecai foiled an assassination attempt on him. And so, in an ironic and humorous twist of fate, Haman ends up having to lead Mordecai around town on horseback showing him off as a man honored by the king.
At the banquet, Esther exposes Haman’s plan, and the king gets angry and storms out of the room. When he comes back, he sees Haman appearing to threaten Esther (though he was actually just desperately begging for his life). But there is no mercy for Haman. The king has him hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai. Haman is caught in his own snare; how quickly the tide has turned against him.
After Haman’s demise, war ensues. Apparently, it is too late for Haman’s kill orders to be recalled. So, Esther and Mordecai are authorized by the king to send word to the Jewish people to arm and defend themselves. The day of war comes and the Jewish people defeat their enemies.
The violence in this story is problematic. It is a product of its time, of course. Nevertheless, whether and how Haman’s plot might have been defeated and his power removed without violence and war is a question that is worth pondering. Does violent uprising ever really conquer oppressive systems or just perpetuate a cycle of violence and vengeance?
We should remember, however, that the initial perpetrator of hate and violence in this story was Haman – someone who had it all, wanted more, was consumed by his own vanity and status, who was insecure and easily insulted, and who tragically couldn’t let go of his own thirst for domination, power, and revenge. Haman’s is a cautionary tale against our worst selfish tendencies
The real heart and soul of this story, however, is Esther’s courage.
Esther acts boldly and courageously to save her people. She didn’t choose the situation she found herself in, but she used it for good. She was a Jewish orphan, raised by her cousin, Mordecai, who became a court concubine and, as the king’s favorite, was then promoted to queen. Did she really have any power and influence? Would the king listen to her? Or would he punish her for her audacity? She doesn’t know until she takes the risk.
And in stepping out in courage and faith, Esther doesn’t seek glory or hero-status for herself. Instead, she acts selflessly, potentially putting her own life on the line for others.
Esther also takes Mordecai’s words of encouragement, faith, and hope seriously. Even as he laments what is, Mordecai also believes that things can change, that deliverance will come, that the status quo can be upended, and that the disastrous ideas of Haman do not have to win.
People have often noted that God is never named directly in the book of Esther. In contrast to a number of other biblical texts where the character of God plays a more clear, prominent, and active role, in Esther, we’re left wondering where God is in all of this.
But God is not absent. God is there, even if not overtly named. God is standing with those who are oppressed, working with and through willing human partners to bring liberation.
God’s liberating love is present in Esther’s faithful courage.
God’s compassionate presence is surrounding Mordecai as he laments.
God’s faithfulness is witnessed to by Mordecai in his assurance that deliverance can and will come for those longing for rescue.
In some ways, this more subtle portrayal of God’s presence and activity with and through human beings makes the story of Esther even more relatable. Isn’t this often how God shows up for us too? Through others. Present in ordinary experiences and in our times of need.
And both Mordecai and Esther offer us models for faith and for the ways in which we bear witness to God’s presence in our lives and in our world.
Mordecai models for us lament as an act of faith in response to our personal or collective loss and grief, whatever it may be. Lament is a faithful and honest act of love and compassion.
When little kids get swept away in flood waters, lament is a faithful response.
And there are times when lament is the right first step in response to the misguided and harmful plots of this world (like it was for Mordecai). When people choose violence, lament is an appropriate response. When people in power choose to dominate and diminish others and instead pad their own pockets, lament is an appropriate response. When certain groups of people are scapegoated and targeted by those in power, lament is an appropriate response. When access to basic needs is made more difficult for already poor and vulnerable people, lament is an appropriate response. And when people in our communities and in our world are raising their own voices and sharing their struggles and concerns, listening to their lament, joining them in their lament, echoing their lament is an appropriate response.
But it also doesn’t stop there. Mordecai didn’t stop with lament. He did something. He said something. He dug deep and found the faith inside him to believe that a different path was possible, that God could and would bring deliverance, liberation, healing, rescue, and restoration.
And he shared this faith with Esther. He encouraged her to find her own faith, her own voice, her own courage, her own willingness to do something. And she did.
You know, we all need our own Mordecais, don’t we? We need those people who encourage us, empower us, and inspire us. We need those people in our lives who remind us of the abilities we already possess and the opportunities we already have right in front of us to serve faithfully and to make a positive difference. We can be those people for each other in our families, communities, and church. That’s part of being a community of faith and walking this journey together.
Who have been your Mordecais lately? Name them. Thank them. Pray for them. And know that you have been Mordecai for others too. Thank you!
And Esther, who is young and beautiful, but perhaps doubtful of her own power and influence (at least at first), proves herself to be wise, intelligent, and strategic in her thinking about how to expose Haman’s plot. And, most of all, she is deeply courageous. She is a model for us too.
When the people we love (which should be everyone) are hurting, threatened, or in danger, the courageous faithfulness of Esther is what is needed. And there are infinite ways to embody Esther’s faithful action. Emulating Esther is not about heroics. It’s about service. It’s about faithfulness to our calling. And it’s about working towards a vision for a world that is grounded in God’s love and justice.
Want to be like Esther? I do!
Speak up, protest, feed people, volunteer, donate money to support organizations that help others, pray with and for people, engage in deeper dialogue about social issues with anyone who is willing, refuse and refute stereotyping and scapegoating, use your creativity and artistic abilities to proclaim beauty, love, and truth, offer your unique witness to the deep, extravagant, boundless love of God who wills our collective liberation.
Our daily living and daily walk of faith is filled with opportunities. And we’re in this together.
Who knows, perhaps you were brought into this world, into this life, for just such a time as this.
Amen.